Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora stands with members of the military and super-storm Sandy first responders before the game against the Steelers Sunday. / The Star-Ledger-U.S. Presswire

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It was not just another NFL Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Not for the home team, the away team or the fans.

In the aftermath of super-storm Sandy, nearly everyone was affected by the power outages and, in some cases, the destruction wrought upon their homes. Even the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were far from the battered coastline, were inconvenienced and had to fly in the morning of the game instead of a day prior.

In the end, the Steelers handled the adversity better than the New York Giants and came away with a 24-20 victory that propped up their feelings about the direction of their season but left the Giants despondent over their inability to give their fans a reason to smile at the end of an otherwise challenging week.

"We wanted emotionally so badly to win the game for obvious reasons, for all our neighbors who are struggling and who need some type of inspiration. Of course, we didn't provide it for them," said Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who wore a hat with the state of New Jersey on it for the first half. "We didn't play well and we are going to have to get this straightened around, some way, some form here, quickly obviously. That was not the kind of game we had planned to play."

It was also not the kind of travel schedule the Steelers (5-3) would've preferred. But all things considered, they were willing to overcome some minor inconveniences.

"I saw a lot of NFL superstar millionaires sleeping on the floor pregame in the hotel (lobby) with rolled-up shirts as pillows," Steelers linebacker Larry Foote said of the odd schedule Sunday. "But hey, football's football. You put the ball down on the grass and we'll play."

Eventually that was the case after the Giants (6-3) honored the members of the military for Veterans Day, as well as the first responders in the wake of Sandy. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who was scheduled to be in Atlanta for the Sunday night game, made a stop at MetLife Stadium in the pregame to shake the hands of those being honored.

Having dealt with the awkward schedule, the Steelers showed they were also able to overcome a few questionable calls by the officials â?? including a fumble returned for a touchdown that should've been ruled an incompletion â?? as well as their own coach's decision to run a failed fake field goal on a fourth-and-1 from the Giants' 3-yard line instead of taking the easy kick for a tie game early in the fourth quarter.

The Pittsburgh defense forced a three-and-out to set up the game-winning drive and end an awkwardly-scheduled day in a familiarly victorious fashion.

"Felt kind of weird coming the day of," said Steelers running back Isaac Redman, who ran for 147 yards and the winning touchdown. "But any obstacle that comes in our way, we just push it aside and come to work. We knew the Giants were dealing with their own adversity, so we couldn't feel bad for ourselves, and we just came out here ready to play."

Taking a Giant break

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Kathy Nogalo, a volunteer with the Lanoka Harbor (N.J.) EMS, was being sheepish about her Steelers fandom while standing on the sideline at MetLife Stadium before her team faced the Giants on Sunday.

Until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, in the midst of shaking hands with members of the military and the first responders to last week's devastating storm , asked if there were any Steelers fans in the crowd.

Seconds later, after being whisked by Goodell to the end zone, Nogalo was hugging Steelers owners Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II, with Art taking the Steelers' 80th anniversary pin off of his lapel and giving it to Nogalo.

"That was the moment of a lifetime," Nogalo said. "Priceless."

The NFL's goal Sunday was to provide victims of the storm, as well as those pressed into service in its the aftermath , a break from the devastation that has rendered them powerless or, in some cases, homeless.

While the New York City Marathon was canceled, Giants-Steelers kicked off as scheduled, with few arguments from those on hand about whether the game should've been played.

"I sure didn't hear that here, and I didn't hear it out in the parking lot," said Goodell, who visited East Rutherford before taking a flight to Atlanta for the Sunday night game. "In fact, exactly the opposite."

It was the same for some of those attending the game who were trying to think about anything other than the damage caused to their houses.

Lee Steneken from Mahway, N.J., was without the blue Giants shuttle bus with the grill and portable toilet he brings to each game. On Saturday, when he went to retrieve the bus from his work lot in New Milford, N.J., he realized someone had siphoned 20 gallons of gas out of the tank.

"If somebody needed that gas to run a generator for their family, fine," Steneken said, keeping perspective for a moment. "But I still miss that bus."

Mike Garafolo

Three hours of relief

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Michael Mullin's property is strewn with an estimated 45 tons of debris, the marina has explained that his boat has been totaled and the 45-year-old is feeling the aches of a week's worth of clean-up from superstorm Sandy.

All things considered, Mullin felt lucky Sunday. Loved ones were safe, and his Giants were on television.

The Staten Island resident found a moment of relief at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn, which served as a shelter for 80 families displaced by the storm, in the form of a hot cheeseburger, french fries, and three-plus hours of football on a big-screen TV. He spoke matter-of-factly about the damage as the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers went on.

"I lost only property and stuff. I didn't lose as much as a lot of other people," he said. "If the Giants win today, I'll feel better."

Earlier, James Dempsey was cleaning out his flooded home wearing a Giants sweatshirt, but he had no plans to watch the game. "No chance. I'll be here all day," he said.

Still, the Time Warner Cable store served as a temporary shelter of hot food and power and a place to watch the Giants - a local gathering that New York wide receiver Victor Cruz re-tweeted to his more than 253,000 followers. For Rosanna Gottlieb, 34, and her three kids, the pizza and football was a nice distraction after a miserable, power-less week.

"We do watch the Giants. This just feels like a little bit more normal, being around other people," she said. "It was nothing like we ever experienced before. A lot of the basics were taken away. We learned to live differently."

Chris Corbellini, Special for USA TODAY

Bar back in business

HOBOKEN, N.J. -- A small yellow generator hummed on the corner of Sixth and Washington streets in Hoboken. It had arrived Sunday morning, a few hours before Sullivan's Bar regained power. Inside two dozen patrons watched the Giants play host to the Steelers a few miles away at MetLife Stadium .

Before kickoff in East Rutherford, though, the televisions were split between the early NFL games and Gov. Chris Christie providing updates. The governor's voice boomed over the action. Now, as the Giants and Steelers were tied in the second quarter, CBS announcer Joe Nantz's voice filled the room.

Outside, members of the FEMA corps canvassed the streets in blue and white uniforms not unlike the Giants'. Blackboards proclaimed taverns were open in time for the game. Giants flags fluttered in a light breeze and electric signs showed a restaurant's allegiance.

After losing revenue all week, customers were returning to taps of warm beer limited menus after food had to be thrown out and most important TVs.Sullivan's stayed open throughout the week, lit by battery-operated lanters.

On Sunday it was littered with patrons in jerseys, from Redskins to Houston Oilers to Vikings. The bartender wore a Victor Cruz jersey. There was a Tuck sitting in a booth and a Manning walking around.

Michael Falco, the manager, had to tend bar during the week but knew exactly what he was going to do when kickoff game for the Giants.

"Four o'clock I'm gonna watch the game," he said. "I'm done."

Mike Vorkunov, Special for USA TODAY Sports

Filling up on Giants too

PASIPPANY, N.J. -- Brian Siberbinski was on his couch watching the New York Giants game when his girlfriend texted that she was going to get gas.

Since it was taking several hours to sit through lines throughout the state, Siberbinski was not going to let her go alone. So he waited at a Wawa in a line that was 35 deep and checked the game on his phone before finally filling up.

Tim Baxter is a New York Jets fan who was home for his birthday but instead was sent off by his family to get gas. After waiting in line for an hour and a half on previous days, he timed his trip to coincide with the Giants game, hoping there would be fewer people in line.

"I figured the line would be a lot shorter because of the the big game," Baxter said. "I'm hoping for the best."

Of course, if the Jets were playing, even a dire gas shortage wouldn't have been enough for Baxter to leave the house.